Vacuum-pan.



No. 66!,929. Patented Nov. l3, I900. E. J. DUFF.

VACUUM PAN.

(Application filed Feb. 13, 1900.) i (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 66l,929. Patented Nov. [3, |900.

E. J. DUFF.

VACUUM PAN.

(Applicafion filed Feb, 13, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

v7l v'znes 7671670507" Ulvrrnn STATES ATnN'r Enron,

EDWARD JAMES DUFF, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE UNITED ALKALI COMPANY, LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

VACUUM-PAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,929, dated November 13, 1900,

Application filed February 13, 1900- Serial No. 5,114. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD JAMES DUFF, engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 30 James street,

Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Evaporating Brine; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of to the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention is an evaporating apparatus, and has for its object to produce a r 5 simple, economical, convenient, and efficient apparatus that by its construction and arrangement dispenses with many parts heretofore regarded as essentialand desirable, without thereby incurring any loss of effi- 2o ciency.

The invention relates to that type of apparatus in which the steam resulting from the evaporation of the brine is utilized for heating the further supply of the liquid prior to the latter being subjected to evaporation, and

the evaporation may be carried on in a vacuum or not, as desired.

My invention consists in locating the preheating device in the same unitary inclosed 3o receptacle that contains the evaporator,which dispenses with external coils and apparatus and prevents loss of heat, in locating the preheater directly above the evaporator and subject to direct and immediate contact with the steam of the evaporation without requiring any outside or separate passageway for such steam, which prevents loss of heat and dispenses with further piping, pumps, &c., and in certain other details to be hereinafter 4o pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in vertical section one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly broken away at the top, viewed from the right of Fig. 1.

A is the evaporating-pan, consisting of the main portion or barrel, the evaporating-drum A and the tapering bottom or funnel that continues in the leg 0, which terminates in the boot D.

B is the preheating device, located in pan A and above drum A Brine is admitted to the pan at a or at 3, (above or below the drum,) or at both places.

E is a conveyer from boot D into receptacle F.

G is a condenser which may also be employed to produce a vacuum in the pan and has communication with the upper part of the latter through neck I). 60.

The evaporating-drum consists of the annular belt a and the perforated disks or diaphragins l and 2, the belt and the disks being secured together and to the barrel and funnel, respectively, by flanges, as seen. A number of vertical tubes at are secured to the two disks at their perforations and provide communication between the upper and lower portions of the pan A, thereby presenting a large heating-surface to the heating medium in the drum. This heating medium is admitted by the pipe a and may be live or exhaust steam; but it is also convenient to use the hot exhaust-gases from gas-engines. Any suitable contrivance, as a stop-cock, serves to carry off from the drum the results of condensation, though the drum may ex haust into the tank.

The preheating device consists of a number of (preferably) horizontal tubes 6 (hori- 8o zontal because the steam thereby impinges against their sides and is more effective,) secured to tube-plates b and affording communication between the two chambers c and 0, formed by the plates b and caps l, that are secured together and to the pan by flanges, as shown. These tubes are so located as to be su rrounded on all sides by the steam arisingin the pan, and they afford a large heating-surface, which is presented directly to the steam as it passes out through neck 19 into the condenser. An inlet-pipe d communicates with one chamber c and an outlet-pipe e with the other chamber. The outlet-pipe e leads off to a settlingtank H and a return-pump I in communication therewith and has branches controlled by valves e e for delivering the heated brine into the pan A. Extending almost across the evaporating-chamber and below the tubes 12 is a tray g, sloping toward one side. The higher side, at g does not meet the wall of the evaporating-chamber, but allows sufficient space for the passage of the steam from the evaporation, while the remaining sides of the tray are fixed to the walls of the pan. This tray collects the water of condensation and prevents its passing back into the evaporating brine, the said water passing 0E by the drain-pipe g The mode of operation is as follows: The

steam enters the drum at d and serves to evaporate the brine passing through tubes at, discharging when necessary through the stopcock. The cold brine is admitted to the preheater at d and passes through one chamber 0 into the tubes 1)", where it is heated by the vapors in the'pan. Thenceit passes out in a heated condition through the other chamber 0 and pipe einto the pan either at 0L or at 3, or at both places. Instead of being introduced immediately into the pan the heated brine may first pass through pipe f into settlingchamber H and be thence pumped back either to the pan direct or again to the preheater, or it may be passed directly from pipe fto the pump and thence to the pre heater.

While I have described this invention as an apparatus for evaporating brine, it may be employed for evaporating other liquids, in which case the mode of operation is the same. The evaporation continues, and the salt (or other precipitate) settles in the boot D, whence it is conveyed by elevator E and emptied into receptacle F.

Changes may be made in the details of construction and in the arrangement of the communicating pipes, valves, condenser, &c., Without departing from the spirit of my in- Vention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The herein-described evaporating apparatus, comprising a unitary inclosed receptacle containing within itself an evaporatingdrum and a preheating device located directly above the drum and within the walls of the receptacle and consisting of a number of tubes presented directly to the evaporations of the liquid being treated, a tray located beneath said preheating device and having an outlet for the water of condensation, and suitable connections for the admission of a heating medium and for the circulation of the liquid, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described evaporating apparatus, comprising a unitary inclosed recep= tacle containing within itself an evaporatingdrum and a preheating device located directly above said drum and within the walls of the receptacle, said preheating device consisting of a number of tubes presented directly and transversely to the vapors rising from said drum in such a manner as not to require any outside or separate passageway for such vapors, and suitable connections for the ad'- mission of a heating medium and for the circulation of the liquid, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described evaporating apparatus, comprising a unitary inclosed recep= tacle containing within itself an evaporating drum and a preheating device located directly above said drum and within the walls of the receptacle and consisting of a number of horizontal tubes presented directly and transversely to the escaping vapors, a tray located beneath said device and having an outlet for the water of condensation, and suitable connections for the admission of a heating medium and for the circulation of the liquid,

substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 

